Valleywide Legal Blog

Beware The Medication Error

Medication errors are some of the most common preventable medical mistakes.  They occur in hospitals, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and in the patient’s home.  The consequence of a medication error can range from insignificant to catastrophic injury to death.  Although a … Read More

Posted in Doctors, drug companies, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medication Errors, Nurses, Pharmacies, Pharmacy Malpractice |

Doctors Need Help, Cue the Robots

One of the most fertile fields for malpractice is the humble diagnosis.  Errors in diagnosis lead doctors down the wrong path and result in either no treatment for a serious condition or a delay in treatment.  The best available evidence … Read More

Posted in Doctors, electronic medical records, General Health, health, medical charts, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medication Errors, Misdiagnosis, science news |

Hospitals Are Still Unsafe

The medical profession knows that there is a patient safety problem.  Every time they examine patient safety, they find the same thing.  People in hospitals are injured at an unacceptable rate and the doctors and hospitals seem to be unable … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Infection, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice claims, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical mistakes, Medication Errors, Nurses, Secrecy, Surgical Errors |

Medication Errors Are Easy To Make.

A few months ago I wrote about the Tennessee nurse who was criminally prosecuted for administering the wrong medication to a patient.  The medication resulted in the patient’s death and the nurse was convicted of negligent homicide.  One of the … Read More

Posted in Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Medical Devices, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medication Errors |

Medical Malpractice or Criminal Conduct?

Last week I wrote about an ICU doctor in Ohio, who was accused of deliberately overdosing 11 of his critically ill patients with a powerful painkiller and thereby shortening their lives.  After nearly a week of deliberations, the jury acquitted … Read More

Posted in Arizona Medical Board, disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, Nurses, Prescription Errors, Secrecy |

Murder, Malpractice or Compassionate Care?

A 46 year old critical care specialist is on trial in Ohio.  He is accused of deliberately overdosing critically ill patients with fatal amounts of the potent painkiller, Fentanyl.  He was originally charged with 25 deaths but the court threw … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Hospitals, Informed Consent, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, Secrecy |

Traveling Nurses: An Increasingly Common Phenomenon

It is no secret that nurses are the backbone of the health care system.  They are generally caring and compassionate.  They are the health care professionals who interact most often with patients in both doctors’ offices and in hospitals.  Right … Read More

Posted in Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, Nurses |

The Never Event.

In 2001, the concept of “never events” was introduced.  The idea was that a never event was one which was identifiable, caused serious injury or death and was almost always preventable.  The original list has grown and there are now … Read More

Posted in Birth Injuries, blood infections, disclosure of medical mistakes, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Medical Devices, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medicare, Medication Errors, never events, Nurses, Pharmacy Malpractice, Prescription Errors, retained surgical instruments, Secrecy, Surgical Errors |

“Blame The Patient”

“Blame the patient” is Play #2 in the medical malpractice defense lawyer’s playbook.  Play #1, of course, is “Deny, deny, deny.”  “Blame the patient” is #2 because it is so effective.  It plays into the human nature of the members … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, heart attack, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Medication Errors, plaintiff, Prescription Errors, trial |

Medication Errors Are A Persistent Problem.

Medication errors can and do kill and injure patients in hospitals, outpatient clinics and as a result of doctor ordered prescriptions.  There are literally thousands of medications, which can be prescribed for patient use.  Many have confusing names.  Many have … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Hospitals, Lawsuits, medical errors, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medication Errors, Pharmacies, Pharmacy Malpractice |